


A Kind Gesture

by Trollmor



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen, Secret Santa, TOA Secret Santa, TOA Secret Santa 2020, holiday gift fic, wholesome christmas adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28291119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trollmor/pseuds/Trollmor
Summary: A short fic I wrote for a holiday gift exchange on Tumblr (toa-secret-santa).The wish was 'something with the teens in Arcadia having some holiday fun'Steve is about to spend Christmas alone and the gang helps out because they are wonderful friends.This is so soft. I'm talking baby-marshmallows-resting-on-pillows soft. It may be too soft. Despite of the frankly excessive amount of softness, I hope you enjoy.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	A Kind Gesture

It was Toby’s idea. _Of course it was,_ Jim thought fondly as he carefully packed the Christmas decorations unto his bike.

_One week earlier…_

_”Come on, he misses Eli.” Toby’s kind eyes was fixed on Claire and although her resolve was obviously crumbling she wasn’t going down without a fight._

_”Why would we do a Christmas thing for Steve of all people?” Despite all they had been through, Claire thought of Steve as little more than a jock._

_”Because his parents will be gone over Christmas-” Claire grimaced, she hadn’t known that. ”-and he stayed behind because he thought Eli would visit. Turns out he can’t leave Akiridion-5 right now.”_

Jim had been watching the exchange quietly and could pinpoint the exact moment Claire’s heart won over past resentments. _That_ was the moment. As if attempting to make up for her earlier resistance, she had been tasking them all to make handmade decorations as well as buying ones from the store. The plan was to surprise Steve and decorate his whole house for him.

Strickler and Barbara had helped them with the tree, dropping it off behind his house. Darci and Mary had brought drinks and snacks and was waiting outside when Claire, Toby and Jim pulled up with their bikes outside. Toby was the first one at the door to knock, once every box and bag had been unloaded and were ready to bring inside. The door opened and Steve peered out at them. He looked tired and annoyed, and Jim couldn’t help but notice his eyes were a bit red and swollen.

”What do you buttsnacks want?”

Mary looked impatient but Darci just smiled – Toby had filled her in already and his sympathy had rubbed off on her. The rest of them, well they knew better than to take offense at Steve’s words at this point.

”Well, we thought we’d drop by, you know, because of Eli and all – and uh, your folks being away-” Steve’s eyes narrowed and Toby faltered, looking to Jim for support. Jim shrugged helplessly, _he_ hadn’t thought of what to say.

”We’re your _friends_ , Steve. Stop being a jerk and let us in.”

Claire stepped past them resolutely and Steve moved to the side to allow her in. If past experiences with Claire had taught him anything it was that she had officially become a person he did not want to mess with. With obvious reluctance he let everybody in.

”Hey.” Steve turned and Jim smiled at him. ”There’s a tree out back to carry inside. Will you give me a hand?”

”Yeah. Yeah, sure”, Steve muttered and followed Jim outside. They grabbed the tree and started to move it. Then Steve let it go abruptly and his end hit the ground. ”Why are you doing this? None of you even like me.” He squared his shoulders, looking ready for a fight. Jim sighed and let go of his end as well.

_Are we really going to do this?_ He rubbed his neck, feeling awkward.

”Look, Steve. Eli is not your only friend. You got us.” He gestured to himself and the house, where the rest of the gang was visible in the windows like little scenes from a muted holiday movie. Toby making hot chocolate, Darci and Claire unpacking boxes of Christmas decorations. Mary hanging up glitter around the windows – _with a staple gun? Ohh better not mention that now._ ”We came because we care about you, alright? You’re not alone.”

Steve’s shoulders drooped a little and his voice had lost some of the aggressiveness when he replied.

”But why? I-I don’t get it. I’ve been so-” He flinched, clearly not wanting to say it out loud.

”Oh come on, think about what we’ve been through together.” Even if Camelot felt like a crazy dream, the fact was that they had been fighting side by side and Steve hadn’t backed down once. He even had dim recollections from when he himself was under the Order’s spell and the rest of the group had been encased in ice crystals. Steve had been the first to loudly demand to know what the Order was doing with Nari. ”We’re not fifteen anymore. It doesn’t matter if we annoy each other sometimes. It’s just… we’re _family_ , okay?”

Steve stared at Jim as if this had never occurred to him, then dropped his gaze to the ground, shuffling his feet.

”Yeah?” Then, a faint smile. ”Yeah. Family. I like that.”

”Good, now can we go inside?”

”Yeah, sure.” Steve hastily hoisted his end of the tree on his shoulder, unwittingly putting most of the weight on Jim. ”Are you cold or something?”

”In California? No.” Jim huffed as he grappled for a better grip. ”But Mary’s filming us. Let’s go!”

Steve’s head whipped around towards the house, where Mary had opened a window and was holding her phone up horizontally. Behind her Darci’s hands formed a heart. Steve’s neck was a nice shade of pink by the time they had carried the tree inside. Toby was pouring the hot chocolate into mugs while the others put up the tree, moving stuff around to accommodate. Steve looked much more comfortable, even happy, as he reached up to carefully put the star on the tree.

”It goes on first, everyone knows that”, he said proudly to everyone, who indeed already knew that.

When each had gotten a mug of hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream and tiny marshmallows – and a stick of cinnamon, added in the last moment by Chef Jimbo – they all took a moment to sip it. And gave a collective groan.

”This is amazing, Tobes! What did you put in it?”

”Holy smokes, this is good!”

”Oh my god, _yum!”_

”C’mon, tell us what’s in there!”

Toby basked in the attention, buffing his nails on his lavishly decorated Hanukkah sweater. He wasn’t used to getting compliments for anything drinkable or edible, and he was quite proud of this concoction.

”Oh, just a little something I borrowed from Nana’s cabinet.”

The rest of the group fell silent and exchanged looks. Claire and Steve stared hard into their mugs as if they could determine the secret ingredient by looking at it. When Toby opened his mouth to speak, Darci raised her hand.

”Hold up. Never mind.” She picked up a Christmas decoration and sauntered over to the tree. ”When hot chocolate is _that_ good, I don’t need to know.”

There was a few shrugs and nods, then everybody joined in and started decorating the tree. Toby looked a bit worried.

”Hey Jimbo..” he whispered and Jim glanced up. ”What’s so weird about adding chili?”

Jim only smiled and hiked his shoulders, shaking his head as if saying ’beats me’. Then he picked up a string of popcorn garlands, carefully circling the tree, almost tripping over Mary who had crouched down to add more things to the bottom of the tree. Claire was hanging candy canes on the branches. Steve had sneaked away quietly, only to return with a shoe box. When he lifted the lid, it contained a few homemade Christmas decorations. Some more intact than others, but all of them had photos of some kind of him and Eli in their Creepslayerz get ups.

”What?” he said defensively when Toby picked one up and said nothing. ”There was an old photo booth at the station. What were we supposed to do, _not_ take pictures?”

”Yeah, no – it was the right thing to do, obviously.” Jim picked an ornament from the box and gently put it on an empty branch. Steve nodded, visibly relieved that they wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

Just as they began finishing up the tree, there was a faint chiming noise from upstairs. Steve’s eyes widened and he took off like a shot, elbowing Jim to the side, the smaller teen narrowly avoiding spilling his chocolate as Steve vaulted over the couch and disappeared up the stairs at high speed.

”Hang on… isn’t that the thing, you know, _the thing..?”_ They all stared blankly at Toby, who waved his hands awkwardly as he tried to explain. ”You know that thing Krel set up for Eli and Steve? So that they could talk sometimes? I don’t know, I don’t think it works very well, but…”

Mary hurried up the stairs after Steve, Darci not far behind. Claire followed, then Toby shrugged and did the same, nodding for Jim to come with him.

The humming machine was perched on top of Steve’s desk, clearly homemade. Above it a blue screen flickered, showing a slightly distorted picture of Eli.

”Oh, hi guy- ss-ss-! Ah- n-o what’s wrong with this th- ss- ss- !!- St- ee- looks like I’ll be hh- me for Ch-shhh- mas anyway! See y- uu-” Then the screen flickered and died. They all looked at Steve, who looked ridiculously happy until he noticed them looking and schooled his features into a smug expression.

”See? Told you he’d come.” He stood up and thumped Jim on the shoulder - this time he did spill some hot chocolate. ”C’mon Jumbo, let’s _deck_ those _halls_!”

They moved downstairs, Steve back to his old self – and Jim trailing behind, rubbing his shoulder with a bemused expression.

”Can we go back to him being sad and lonely?” he whispered to Toby.

Toby grinned and inclined his head towards the living room, where Steve had hoisted Mary up on his shoulders so that she could replace the star with an angel. Darci and Claire was adding more golden glitter garlands, and the room was filled with snorts and giggles.

”I think it’s way too late for that.”


End file.
